Pill testing to go ahead at Australian music festival

Mum Adriana Buccianti talks about her son's death at a music festival in Unharm video2:55

Adriana Buccianti's son died from a drug overdose at a music festival. Now she wants the authorities to allow drug testing so festival goers can check their stash is not contaminated.

November 24th 2016

2 years ago

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If drugs are tested at festivals, fewer people might take them.Source:News Corp Australia

A CANBERRA music festival will become Australia’s first to provide pill testing for festival goers.

The ACT government has decided to allow pill testing at the Spilt Milk festival to go ahead on November 25.

Attendees will be able to access the free service provided by the Safety Testing and Advisory Service at Festivals and Events (STA-SAFE) consortium.

The testing facility, to be positioned alongside medical services, will be enclosed to ensure privacy.

A small “scraping” of the pill will be analysed, and information about the result, and the risks of drug-taking, will be provided to the user.

Amnesty bins containing bleach will also be supplied for those who wish to dump their drugs.

ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris signalled her support for the scheme at a press conference in Canberra on Friday.

“This is a really good measure to make sure that young people stay safe,” she told reporters.

Ms Fitzharris insisted taking illicit drugs was illegal, but added the government is being realistic in recognising that young people do take them.

A small ‘scraping’ of the pill would be taken and tested. Picture: Shaney BalcombeSource:News Corp Australia

She cited evidence from New Zealand which showed that 63 per cent of people who have their pills tested, and were told the substance wasn’t what they thought it was, decided not to take them.

Harm Reduction Australia’s David Caldicott said the decision was a long time coming.

“I think our opponents would probably try to portray this as new and dangerous,” he said.

“We represent a safety net.”

At music festivals people were already committed to using drugs and there are already best-practice guidelines for such tests in Europe, Dr Caldicott said.

The testing data will be collated and presented to the territory government.

Advocates for pill testing have long been calling for the practice to be introduced in Australia following success in Europe.

Parents and family members of drug overdose victims have been among the most vocal supporters of pill testing.

Adriana Buccianti, whose son Daniel died at Victoria’s 2012 Rainbow Serpent music festival after taking a tab of “bad acid”, has been a leading voice in the controversial calls for testing stations to be set up at all Australian music festivals.

“The bottom line is people will take drugs, irrespective of the law,” she said at a campaigning event last year.

“If pill testing was implemented, people might not take their drugs because no one want to come out of a festival or nightclub in a body bag if they think their drugs might kill them.”

Results from the testing data at the Spilt Milk music festival will be collated and presented to the ACT government.